Norfolk Holiday Day 4

"tiring work these holidays!"






TESS - Mum and Dad are a bit cross. It’s raining! Goody, I can curl up on the chair and carry on with my sleep.

No way! We can wrap up and go for a nice walk on the quay and see who we meet. Then back for coffee and papers before heading to Wells next the Sea. We’re not going to let a little rain spoil our holiday. Terribly British but we sit on the Quay in our car and eat the most delicious fish and chips, bet you did’nt know that the Welsh Springer Spaniel likes chips!

Then we have a drive along the coast to Burnham Market, (the Hoste Arms is worth a stop and very doggy friendly) and onto Brancaster. A bit damp, but nice to see the sights. Lazy afternoon again at the cottage, finishing my book ‘Marley and Me’ and eating comforting chocolate.

We have a final walk on Blakeney Quay and out on the marshes. We’ve fallen in love with this area. The weather is now a bit bleak but interesting to see the changing scenery with the tide coming in. What a fascinating place. Lovely last evening with a feast of cheeses, wine and one very contented little pup.

A very successful first holiday with our cherished little girl.

Can’t wait to do it all again!

Norfolk Holiday - Day 3

Thank goodness the weathermen always get it wrong. Another sunny day. We’re right on the quay so have a nice leisurely walk on the marshes and bravely let Tess off her lead. This place must be doggy heaven. Meet friends, who moved to Norfolk a couple of years ago, for lunch in a local pub (another crab salad!) then head to Holkham Bay. Surely the most stunning beach in Norfolk. This was one Welsh Springer Spaniel in her element meeting new people who adored her and running in and out of the surf chasing an old tennis ball she had found. Then headed up through the pine woods. So far so good until Tess decided to explore the undergrowth and found the worst smelliest, muddiest stream in Norfolk. POOH! So back to the beach to clean off, before heading to our friends new home for a takeaway, and a kind donation of Pedigree Chum and a poppodom for Tess. So many new experiences!

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I’m having the best time. Today met some nice new people who make a huge fuss of me (naturally!) then we went to another beach. Heaven! This time it was a sandy one which was nice to run on. The man kept throwing a tennis ball into the sea, which was great fun. Mum even took off her shoes and got very wet! Things got even better when I managed to find the best mud ever – it really smelt lovely. What is their problem? Why do they shout so loudly? And why did I get dragged all the way back to the sea and thrown in? Humans are so strange…………………………….

Back home my new friends give me some yummy food and keep asking when I can come and stay again – must keep this cute look up a bit longer even though I am a very tired Welsh Springer Spaniel……………………………

Norfolk Holiday Day 2

"anyone for a swim?"








Can’t believe we’re lucky enough to wake up to sun so off to buy supplies from the superb local deli for tonight’s supper and then to Salthouse, a pebble beach not far away. Tess adores the beach and was quickly in the sea chasing a stone and running in and out of the surf. One wet pup and lots of great photos! Lunch at the famous Cookies Crab Shop and back to the cottage to sit in the garden. Sadly just got settled with a good book and glass of wine and the predicted rain started. Thankfully it doesn’t last long and we head out for a short walk which turned into a long one when out came the sun again. Perhaps a little too long as Tess pushed her luck, and dived into a muddy estuary and promptly went back on her lead. She is not to be trusted! Typical Welsh Springer Spaniel.

Nice lazy evening with more red wine – can you see a pattern emerging? And one very sleepy little pup.

This is definitely the “Norfolk life”.

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“Whoopy! Another walk! This time on the beach. My favourite. Did get a bit of a shock though when Dad threw in a stone and it went a bit deep. Still I guess I have to learn to swim sometime. There’s nothing to it! And once up on the grass again there are lots of holes to poke my head down – why do they keep yelling at me?! Back to our new home for a play in the garden where I keep getting told off for finding sticks and cables and all sorts hidden behind the shed, then off for another walk. What’s with all this exercise?? Oh well – can’t complain. Especially when it involves mud! Oh no here comes the lead again. Why do they always spoil my fun?!

Our First Holiday With Tess - DAY1

"I saw it a minute ago!"

We’d been looking forward to this holiday for so long – A week in Norfolk with our Welsh Springer Spaniel.

Thank goodness we have an estate car as it was loaded to the brim – travelling with a dog is worse than packing for a child. How could such a little thing need so much stuff? Various leads, bowls, food, toys, throws and towels – something for every eventuality.

We had a good drive reaching Norwich in about an hour and headed straight for Felbrigg, a National Trust property and the woodland walk. Tess travels like a dream but managed to find the dirtiest, muddiest puddle available as soon as she was out of the car. Despite this we had a lovely walk, followed by a super lunch (my first crab salad of many this week), then took the coast road to Blakeney and the cottage we were staying in.

Tess took on the role of security consultant checking out every room and every corner of the lovely enclosed garden. Fascinating. We strolled out on Blakeney marshes and had a quick pint in the local where someone even recognised Tess as a Welsh Springer Spaniel. Fame at last or is that infamous! We had a lazy evening with cheeses, classical music and copious glasses of red wine. Well we were on holiday!!! And a holiday with a dog is a little different to the usual round of restaurants and sightseeing, but nice just the same. Tess fought between exhaustion and inquisitiveness – she hates to miss anything – but finally fell asleep, as did we.

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Tess sees things slightly differently!

“Well I don’t know where they’re taking me now but the car is packed and I’m harnessed on the back seat yet again.

After my busy week with Nesta (my Welsh Springer Spaniel friend) I’m happy to curl up for a long sleep but there’s lots of stopping and starting and I really can’t miss anything. I think I recognise this journey but who are these men in bright jackets lingering around the roundabout – they’re not doing much? Better give them a bark just to say hello. We finally stop at a lovely place and go for a nice long walk. Boy what a lot of mud! Not so keen being tethered to a table leg while Mum and Dad have a yummy feed but my Boneo’s not bad and there’s lots of interesting people to watch.

Then we’re off again, this time to a new house with a great garden to explore. I’d better make sure its safe for the humans. Now we’re going for another walk, this time with lots of water and birds flying everywhere. Yippee! I don’t usually get so many walks in one day but I’m not complaining. Gosh this is going to be fun. Now they’re drinking again and I’m tied to another table leg.

Well its been fun but boy am I sleepy – can’t wait to curl up in my bed and dream about tomorrow.

Never a dull moment with a Welsh Springer Spaniel

"Butter would'nt melt!"






They say things come in threes and this weekend it has already happened.

One - It's lunch time and I leave my plate with some food left on the coffee table. Tess is asleep so I think it is safe for a few minutes before clearing up. Wrong! This Welsh Springer Spaniel can smell food at 50 paces and is up in a shot and downs the piece of pate in one go, not even a savour or chew. We did pay the price later, if you know what I mean and she sent the rest of the afternoon feeling sorry for herself.

Two - We are late to bed Friday night and put Tess out into the garden as usual only to see a black cat disappearing over the fence. Luckily she did not see the cat but caught the scent and went ballistic tearing around the garden sniffing out every available spot. I don't think I have ever seen her scent quite so frantically before!

Three - A lazy Saturday morning reading the papers and then let Tess out into the garden for her morning constitutional. Suddenly she appears from the bottom of the garden with something in her mouth, what it is it? A baby bird! She dropped it initially but as it tried to fly away she grabbed it again and triumphantly ran around the garden with her prize trying to eat it. It was a bit of a circus trying to catch her and remove it although we succeeded eventually. Perhaps our Welsh Springer Spaniel is trying to tell us she wants to be a real gun dog!!!

Tess's Holiday

"Long Walks With Friends"

It was with mixed feelings we dropped Tess off at her holiday home on Sunday night. She was going to stay with our friends and their Welsh Springer Spaniel, Nesta, while we were away for a few days. On the one hand we were looking forward to having a 'grown up' time away, on the other hand we knew how much we were going to miss our baby girl.

We had a lovely long walk together and pampered her all day before driving over to leave her the night before we left. Being such a clingy dog we thought it would be heart wrenching getting away. Not a bit of it!! In her usual Welsh Springer Spaniel fashion she had to investigate every nook and cranny of her new surroundings. The garden was of special interest with lots of new smells and strange new creatures she had never seen before......... tortoises. How we all laughed as she sniffed and chased the terrified animals around. We expected we would have to creep away but she was far too busy elsewhere to bother about us - cheek!

It appears the whole week was filled with playing endlessly with Nesta, very little sleep, lovely long walks, chasing birds and diving in the river. Oh, and terrorising the poor helpless tortoises. It was such a relief she was so well looked after and just as spoilt as she is at home, while learning something from the more mature Nesta. So much so she can't wait for her next 'holiday'.

It seems we missed her more than she did us. How fickle are dogs??!!

A small taster

Well, Tess is now back from her summer holidays and as you can see, in true Welsh Springer Spaniel style, she could not wait to go into the sea.

Watch this space for stories from her stay with her friend Nesta, who is also a Welsh Springer Spaniel and her trip to Blakeney in North Norfolk coming up over the next few days.

New Obedience Class

We’ve now had 3 weeks of our advanced obedience class. It’s been a bit of a shock to the system going from being one of the best dogs in the class (thanks to all the new puppies!) to the ‘new girl’. Week one was a bit like starting a new job – you don’t really know what to expect and just keep your head down and try to take it all in.

And did we have lots of new things to learn!

The ‘sendaway’ was first on the agenda – you have to send your dog away to a designated area where she has to lay down and wait for the next command, which is a recall. Although I had started practicing something similar in the garden, she did not respond in the same way in front of an audience. Typical Welsh Springer Spaniel!
Tess would much rather investigate the room, sniffing all the new scents and ending up on the stage. This caused chuckles from the other owners but much frustration for me. I know she is capable of much more……..

Next came the retrieve – not one of Tess’s strong points. Play comes much higher on her agenda! Thank goodness for the more familiar areas of ‘sit and stay’ and recalls which she does with ease.

Tess is a typical Welsh Springer Spaniel – full of fun and play but still able to learn and willing to please so although we haven’t got off to the best of starts I am confident we will get there. Eventually!!!!!!!!
In the meantime I guess that old saying ‘ no pain no gain’ is appropriate!!!!

Our second class was certainly an improvement on the first thanks to some training during the week using some very tasty treats! She is beginning to grasp the ‘sendaway’ although I can’t get her to ‘lay down’ on command from a distance. More practice needed.

We were given a good tip on retrieve – make her wait while placing her toy between us then call her to fetch and take it from her mouth with encouragement before she can race off with it, drop it or attempt to ‘kill’ it. Something else to work on! We also did some very useful heel work off the lead. This is invaluable as control of your dog, when out, is essential. I was so pleased she stayed with me rather than racing off to play with the other participants! And a little surprised!

Well what was in store for us at week threes class. After a week of practice I was very confident. Ha ha!!!!! Tess had other ideas! After three painful attempts at the ‘sendaway’ – yes, the very thing she can do perfectly at home – there was a definite improvement. Our retrieve, however, was rubbish!!!!! Tess just sat and stared at her toy and then at me and refused to move let alone retrieve. Now how out of character is that? Even our new trainer commented that she didn’t realise Welsh Springer Spaniels could be so contrary!

On the plus side she did do some excellent heel work, sit and down stays and recalls. By the end of the class she was concentrating much more and listening to me so I know we will improve. Just how long will it take is the question but it will be fun finding out. And as one lovely lady in our class said ‘ she is still a baby’……………

Still the only way is up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bad Weather

Not sure I will ever quite get to truly understand the Welsh Springer Spaniel breed. Tess, our Welsh Springer Spaniel, just loves playing in the river, jumping into puddles and running into the sea, but just like me she is not keen on the bad weather.

We have had two days of almost non-stop rain this holiday weekend. We did manage to get a quick walk in yesterday morning before it really started raining but once we got back she refused to go into the garden until early evening by when I suspect desperation had set in. We did push her out once but she just stood next to the back door blinking as if to say “you must be joking”.

At one point I even tried shielding her with an umbrella (honestly) but she was having none of it. Very sensibly this Welsh Springer Spaniel would rather stay curled up in doors asleep in the warm.

How did she manage to last nearly all day? And to think we worry if we are going to be out for more than a couple of hours!!!.

OBEDIENCE CLASSES

I’ve been taking Tess to Obedience Classes now for about a year and was so excited when Arlene finally announced that she was ready to move up to the Advanced Class with her partner in crime, Willow, another lovely Welsh Springer Spaniel.

We love going to the beginners class but for a while now I’ve felt Tess had progressed well and needed more challenging exercises. Welsh Springer Spaniels are very intelligent but do have minds of their own and need stimulation.

There are so many new puppies in the class now and its hard to recall that Tess was so distracted and just wanted to play rather than respond to my commands. Then suddenly it just seems to come good and you feel so proud. How I want to encourage those new owners to persevere and they will see results.

I was bursting with pride in our last lesson on Tuesday night. She isn’t perfect by any means but she tried so hard and did everything I asked of her. My little star!

I know many people don’t feel classes are necessary and in fact we have friends whose dogs are very well behaved and have never attended a formal class but I do notice they aren’t as well socialised with both dogs and people as those who have some training.

We’ve met some lovely people and of course, many different breeds of dogs and its nice to share tips, funny stories and advice. Arlene, our teacher, has been a huge support and oh so patient!

Personally I’d advise anyone with a new pup to enrole as soon as possible.
We have so much fun!!!!!!! Roll on next week and our new class and apologies to the regulars who will have to put up with two such mischievous monkeys!!!!!

THIS WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH!!!!!

We’ve already told you about our visit to friends in Norfolk and how Tess dominated poor Finlay, a mature Border Terrier, in his own home. There was also a little bit of jealousy showing itself too for the first time ever. Is this a Welsh Springer Spaniel trait??

So we did chuckle this morning when Tess went up to wake up the Master of the house. We don’t usually allow visits upstairs but she did let us have a lie in today as it’s a Bank Holiday so we didn’t mind too much. Anyway after a few minutes snuggling up to Master Tess caught sight of herself in the mirror. Now how on earth did another dog manage to find its way into her domain? After some scrutiny of this new arrival she decided it wasn’t acceptable and started barking furiously at it. Strangely it barked back. How could we even think about bringing another pup into her home and another Welsh Springer Spaniel at that?? UNTHINKABLE!

It took some time to convince her that it really was only her own reflection staring back at her and really nothing to worry about. PANIC OVER!!!

I guess we won’t be getting her a new playmate just yet!

Trip to Norfolk

"Well it is cold in Norfolk!"







Had a lovely weekend up in Norfolk with some old friends of ours, Tess as always had a great time in true Welsh Springer Spaniel style.

Our friends have a lovely Border Terrier called Finlay who is a lovely, placid dog but then Tess arrived. First things first, she discovered Finlays dog flap and what a treat, I can go into the garden whenever I want to without waiting for someone to open the door! Needless to say Tess spent a lot of the weekend in the garden.

We paid a visit to a country show but Tess did not seem to enjoy herself amongst all the crowds, she was very keen to leave and only seemed happy when she was on open ground away from the crowds. Something to be aware of there.

However on the Sunday we went for a long walk in one of the many country parks in Norfolk and even though it has not rained for 2 or 3 weeks in Norfolk, being a typical Welsh Springer Spaniel, Tess managed to find the only black muddy puddle within a fifty mile radius, stood in the middle of it and spent the rest of the walk looking like she was wearing black wellington boots. A couple walking their dog though it was hilarious although not so much when she threatened to jump up at them with wet muddy paws!!!!

The other funny thing we noticed this weekend and have not seen before is how jealous dogs can be. As I was sitting on the sofa Finlay the Border Terrier thought it would be nice to jump up and sit on my lap, Tess was having none of it and even though she was perfectly comfortable on another settee she was straight over to point out that only she was allowed to do that. Welsh Springers, never a dull moment!!!!!!!!

"Norfolk fresh air works its magic"

Handy work

Doing anything round the house with a Welsh Springer Spaniel is never easy. The post man knows this only too well as he gets barked at mercilessly as he quietly goes about his business.

Last week the plumber came round to fix a tap and got jumped on. Luckily he has an equally exuberant Cocker Spaniel.so he wasn’t fazed.

At the weekend we attempted some gardening. Anyone with a Welsh Springer Spaniel will know they love gardening! Unfortunately!! As fast as you do something they undo it so everything takes double the time and attempting to dig in some farmyard manure, well I’m sure you can guess!

This week a friend came round to sort out a problem with some floorboards. Again she went mad but this was accompanied by loud barking. Now could it be because he had a beard we wondered? Or perhaps she felt the need to protect me as I was in the house on my own? Who knows how a Welsh Springer Spaniels mind works!

Tomorrow we have another man coming to measure up for some new flooring. Now I wonder if he has a beard?……………………………………………………

Agility Classes

What fun we had last week. I took Tess to her first agility class. We had a taste at the Christmas Party with a very small course which she loved. As Welsh Springer Spaniels have a mind of their own I thought it would both stimulate her and train her so off we went on Thursday.

The course consisted of a number of jumps about a foot high, an A frame, see saw, walk way, poles to weave and finally, a tyre to jump through.

First go I led her around on the lead. Exhausting for me but a piece of cake for Tess. She cleared every jump with ease. Nothing fazed her, so second go the trainer decided to let her off the lead for the jumps. Well, she whizzed round and before I could catch her, had cleared the A frame and was ready for the see saw! I couldn’t keep up with her! Hopefully a great way to keep fit for both of us! It wasn’t a very controlled exercise by either of us but not bad for a first attempt.

Roll on next week!!!!

TESS AND THE POSTMAN

What is it about dogs and postmen?

We have a lovely man who delivers our post but every morning Tess goes completely mad, barking and running round in circles, then jumps up next to me as if to say ‘its ok - I’ll protect you’.

Once she goes to the front door and sees the post has arrived she calms down. We can even be driving through the village and pass him on his bike and she goes mad. Could it be the uniform or the bike I wonder? Luckily he likes dogs and is quite happy to say hello and give her a stroke, then she’s happy.

We were trying to find a way to stop this then someone pointed out that it is quite a good thing to have a ‘guard dog’ to put off unwanted visitors so now we just grin and bare it. Imagine a Welsh Springer Spaniel as a guard dog!

Just hope the postman (and others visitors) can live with it too!!!!!

Tess and her Boyfriends

Tess has so many "friends" that we can never walk far without stopping to say hello or her insisting on a quick cuddle with everyone and a play with the passing pooch. And she does love the boys!

When we first ventured out to our local park she fell for a beautiful English Springer Spaniel pup called Sam. They adored each other but it was not to last! As they grew and needed more exercise we moved on to a new bigger area for dog walking where her loyalty soon changed.

She loves Bracken, another English Springer, Gus a beautiful Hungarian Vizla pup, and numerous Black Labs. Barney is a boisterous Bedlington Terrier but more like her brother. But her true love is Flash, a very handsome black and white English Pointer. Like all Welsh Springer Spaniels Tess has such good taste! They were besotted with each other the moment they first met and despite his powerful size they play beautifully together – he is so gentle with her. Now call me stupid but I have seen him see off another dog who dares to get too rough or frisky with his girlfriend. Honestly!

Other dogs may come and go but her heart will always belong to Flash!

Very funny Mike!

A guy is driving around the back woods of Cambridge and he sees a sign in front of a broken down shanty-style house: "Talking Dog For Sale."

He rings the bell and the owner appears and tells him the dog is in the backyard.

The guy goes into the backyard and sees a nice looking Welsh Springer Spaniel sitting there.

"You talk?" he asks.

"Yep," the Welsh Springer Springer replies.

After the guy recovers from the shock of hearing a dog talk, he says "So, what's your story?"

The Welsh Springer Spaniel looks up and says, "Well, I discovered that I could talk when I was pretty young. I wanted to help the government, so I told MI6. In no time at all they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies for eight years running."

"But the jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn't getting any younger so I decided to settle down. I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security, wandering near suspicious characters and listening in."

"I uncovered some incredible dealings and was awarded a batch of medals. I got married, had a mess of puppies and now I'm just retired." The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner what he wants for the dog?

"Ten Pound," the guy says.
"Ten Pound? This dog is amazing! Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?"

Because he's a liar. He never did any of that stuff."

Tess goes for a sleepover!

Welsh Springer Spaniels are known to be very sociable dogs, sometimes they can even be clingy. Tess follows me everywhere, and I mean everywhere! But she is maturing so we felt it was time she had a spell away from home. Luckily the opportunity presented itself when Nesta, a 3 year old Welsh Springer Spaniel at our obedience class, invited her for a ‘sleepover’. Tess knows her and her family well so we jumped at the chance to a have a night out at the theatre, knowing Tess would be in safe hands.

Saturday dawned and we met at our favourite spot, for a nice walk together. We then popped her into the boot of our friends car and drove away quickly, not daring to look back. Remember she travels on the back seat of my car usually (with a safety harness) so this in itself was a trial, but it apparently worked. We did miss her but what a treat to wander round the house leaving all the doors and baby gate open without having a dog at your heels! Just like the old days pre Tess.

The next day we all met up again. Out of the car jumped Tess, straight over to my Mum and husband but guess what?? She totally ignored me! This continued on the walk and for the rest of the day. So out of character but she was obviously repaying me for sending her away!! Just like a child!

But this was a small price to pay as the experiment had worked. She had a ball playing endlessly with Nesta and of course had been totally spoilt with lots of cuddles and attention. Apparently she loves Lego and didn’t really want to go to bed but all in all a great success. And boy did she sleep when she got home!

You’ll be pleased to hear she did eventually agree to speak to me again and can’t wait to visit Nesta and her family again. Or perhaps Nesta will come to us next time.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel

The Springer Spaniel was bred as a hunting dog, specifically for hunting rabbits, birds and other game in the undergrowth and getting them to run or fly and this is how the term “Springer” came into being and hence the name. In the Principality the Welsh Springer was know as a separate and distinct variety of Springer Spaniel and it’s roots can be traced with certainty to the eighteenth century although the term ”Spaniel” in fact dates back to around the 1300’s.

The Welsh Springer Spaniel is a strong, merry, active Spaniel easily identified by its rich red and white coat and comparatively small ears. It is smaller than the English Springer and larger than the Cocker Spaniel with dogs measuring approximately 19 inches and bitches 18 inches.

Whilst many Welsh Springer Spaniels are still used for hunting many are also kept as pets. They are happy to live in the home or kennelled with a companion but can become noisy if bored. At least one good free run every day is important. Even if not being trained to hunt, some training is essential in order to have a sociable and socialised pet. Welsh Springer Spaniels, in particular males, have immense energy and a strong nose for scent, even if you do not!

How popular is the breed? According to the kennel club, in 2006 there were 350 Welsh Springer Spaniels registered compared to 15,000 English Springer Spaniels which perhaps shows why the Welsh Springer Spaniel is less well known than the English.

For more information on the Welsh Springer Spaniel visit the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club’s web site at www.wssc.org.uk.

Tess goes to Obedience Classes!

It was always my intention to take Tess to obedience classes. There’s nothing worse than a badly behaved dog or child!!

Whether you train your dog yourself or attend a class it is imperative your pet is socialised with other dogs and understands some basic commands to ensure theirs
and your safety. Welsh Springer Spaniels also need lots of stimulation so as soon as Tess was old enough we went to puppy classes, which really start the socialisation process and teach them to interact with other dogs.

I then found a local class on a Saturday morning and couldn’t wait to get started. But the first hurdle was getting Tess into the car!

I have a small hatchback and so we brought a car guard with the intention of her travelling safely in the boot. No such luck!!!!! It was impossible to get her in without a fight and although everyone told us to persevere it was becoming a fraught and dangerous exercise, so next we decided she could sit on the back seat. Off we went to buy a seat cover and a safety harness. More expense! This also didn’t impress my little puppy. She didn’t want to get in the car and once forced in she writhed and wriggled and twisted her harness around her. At this stage I felt I would be trapped in the house forever, never to go out again. Whose idea was it to get a dog anyway?! But with gentle persuasion suddenly one day she just seemed to accept this was the way it would be and settled down.

So finally I made it to class and after introductions and explanations we started heelwork. This was totally alien to Tess whose main purpose in life is to play so having all these other dogs around her was like puppy heaven! Anyway we ploughed on and made it through the first class. Week Two wasn’t much better and a very badly behaved Border Terrier decided to pick on Tess constantly. He did have a muzzle on but by the end of the hour this frankly was an unacceptable irritation and not what training should be about in my opinion.

Before the next class I happened to ask Tess’s breeder for some advice on local kennels and grooming and she put me in touch with a lovely lady who breeds Welsh Springer Spaniels and has six of her own, so should know what she is talking about. By chance she also ran a class so after a brief chat I decided to take Tess along to meet her and we have never looked back. We have learnt so much and have such fun, meeting some lovely people along the way and, of course, their gorgeous dogs. Tess adores going and I swear looks forward to Tuesday evenings. We do heel work, sometimes off lead, sit and stay and lie down and stay, and our personal favourite, recall. For all sorts of reasons it is so important that your dog will come to call (or the whistle) and sit on command so this must be mastered. The feeling of pride when your pet successfully executes any of these commands is indescribable.

I know classes aren’t for everyone but the change in Tess has been immense. She loves to please and we have so much more control over her. Her understanding of what we want from her grows from day to day and it is such a pleasure to have her in our lives.

The highlight of the year was definitely the Christmas party. Yes even dogs have social events in their diaries!!!!! There must have been a least 20 dogs with owners attending, very excitedly! Humans had soft drinks and nibbles, while the dogs, bedecked in tinsel, had an agility course competition with prizes!

This was the first time Tess had seen such a course and she took to it immediately, clearing the jumps easily. And guess what? She came 3rd, bagging herself a big box of biscuits. One happy little puppy!

So guess what we’ll be doing in the Spring?
Yes agility classes here we come!!!!